Arthur Morse

eLearning education for Thai teachers
Arthur Morse
Bangkok, Thailand
[email protected]
Kanit Khaimook
School of Information Technology
Institute of Social Technology, Suranaree University of
Technology, Thailand
[email protected]
Piboon Paonil
Chandrakasem Rajaphat University, Bangkok, Thailand
[email protected]
Suwat Suktrisul
Bangkok, Thailand
[email protected]
Introducing eLearning in Thailand
 Immense benefits to be gained
 Students:
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are keen and willing to learn using eLearning
like animation, movement and colour
like exercises with instant answers
found science and mathematics more interesting
found lessons easier to follow and time passed quickly
 Technology:
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LMS has improved, easy to use by designers and users
 Content:
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Enhanced designs of LMS make it easier to upload content
Wide variety of free of charge content is available on www
 Teachers:
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Not enough teachers are ready
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Teachers
 Shortage of well qualified teachers:
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especially in the fields of mathematics, science and languages
e.g., English language
especially outside the main cities
 Teachers:
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Can be reluctant to take on something new unless they can see
it will replace existing activities
Need time to:
learn and understand how to search Internet to find new content
and integrate it with existing lessons
appreciate how the content can assist students to understand
difficult concepts
understand the value of blended learning
gain confidence in working with new technology and concepts
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Key issues for Teachers
Becoming familiar
with LMS
Searching Internet to find new
content to enhance student
interest
Shortage of teachers in Confidence of teachers
specialist functions and working with new
In remote areas
technology and content
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Encouraging signs
 Teachers are prepared to devote time to learn how
eLearning works
 Head teachers and School Directors are providing
support especially for the teachers who are keen to adopt
eLearning
 New training and Master Degree programmes are
providing valuable support for teachers who wish to learn
about eLearning in a formal structured course.
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Education Reform in Thailand
 Major reform introduced in 1999 with changes in:
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Education Administration
Curriculum Development
Teaching Methods and Teachers’ Development
Public participation introduced in Education Management
 Constitution Law: Government should provide 12 years of
basic education free of charge
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Ten years after the Reform started
 Education management has changed
 79 Education Administration Regions established
 However…
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Education quality has not improved
Lack of qualified teachers especially in key functions:
Science, mathematics and foreign languages

Insufficient teachers in the rural areas
 Secondary effects
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People who can choose select schools or universities with a good
reputation
Result: many schools/ universities under utilised
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OBEC Evaluation of Education Quality
 OBEC – Office of Basic Education Commission
 Responsible for:

Kindergartens, primary and secondary education
 Conducted study of education 2001 to 2006

National Academic Test Results
Performance in main subject areas is less than 50%
Results have not improved over time
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National Academic Test Results
Basic Education
Academic years 2001 to 2006
Year
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
694,923
703,625
731,380
170,781
196,441
803,174
Thai
46.27
46.65
53.98
38.16
43.94
48.13
Math
32.36
39.07
34.59
34.65
31.15
34.73
English
38.95
45.31
37.92
31.71
30.85
28.70
Students
Source http://bet.obec.go.th /equ
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Annual Education Budget 2007 to 2010
(millions of Thai Baht)
Budget
year
2007
2008
2009
2010 *
Country
1,566,220
1,660,000
1,835,000
1,700,000
282,254
301,085
332,298
346,731
18.02
18.14
18.11
20.4
180,410
190,206
210.634
221,100
11.52
11.46
11.48
13.01
Ministry of
Education
% of
Country
Basic
Education
% of
Country
Source:www.bob.go.th/bbhome/page.asp
* Not include Thai Stronger Budget
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One way forward
 Ten years of Education Reform should have
been sufficient to produce positive trends
 Especially since the Education Budget is
increasing
 It is possible to conclude that the conventional
education process cannot produce the desired
results
 Maybe it is time for eLearning to play an
important role
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OBEC eLearning Project
 Project started in 2007
 Objectives:
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to enable every school to utilise eLearning
to develop a user friendly LMS
to develop contents samples in every subject
 Suranaree Technology University was assigned
to develop the LMS and the contents samples
 These are now ready to be delivered to all
schools
 Schools lack the teachers with sufficient
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knowledge to bring the system into use
Teacher Training Programs
 Many teacher training programs have been
developed
 One of the most important is a Masters Degree in
eLearning
 Chandrakasem Rajaphat University is one of the
first to introduce a Masters Degree in eLearning
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